‘The sand is gone’
Rising lake levels wash away much of Lakeside Park beach
The full extent of the damage won’t be known until the water finally recedes.
But much of the beach at Lakeside Park appears to have been washed away, as water levels on Lake Ontario continue to rise.
St. Catharines acting recreation and culture services director Phil Cristi said city staff are aware that some sand has been “either washed away or pushed inland by the waves.”
“We are looking forward to really ascertaining what the conditions are as a result of the high water level,” he said. “We’re hoping to start the clean up as soon as Mother Nature allows us to do so, but it’s hard for us to tell right now, how much sand we’ve actually lost.”
Any costs that could be associated with restoring the beach have yet to be determined. Cristi said there could also be damage to other waterfront infrastructure such as the piers, but the extent of that damage won’t be known until the flood subsides and “a fulsome analysis” can be done. And that likely won’t happen until at least mid-June.
Last June, Greg Percy, Metrolinx’s chief operating officer, said studies show 85 per cent of local residents who work outside Niagara do so in Hamilton. Based on this, some of the morning rush-hour GO train trips will end in Hamilton and come back to Niagara, said Percy. In other words, not all trains leaving Niagara in the morning will necessarily go all the way to Toronto.
Plus, I wondered who was ultimately in charge of building or retrofitting the train stations in Grimsby, St. Catharines and Niagara Falls. And does Metrolinx see the large number of level rail crossings in Niagara as a problem. More specifically, would it insist on some overpasses being built, and, if so, who would pay for such work?
Alas, any light being shed is of the two-watt bulb variety.
Rather than speak with Chaput, I corresponded by email with Metrolinx’s communications staff.
Spokesperson Kelly Hagan said the agency is in the “very early stages” of planning the expansion.
No plan of service — i.e. number of trips to Hamilton or Toronto — has been determined yet.
It is also working closely with Niagara Region and CN “to complete the feasibility study which will determine the exact cost for how much civil enabling work … must be done to make the track-laying portion of the expansion possible.”
If nothing else, I’ve learned some new bureaucratese — “civil enabling work.” In this instance, it means bridge widenings, culvert extensions and level crossing upgrades.
As for the new or upgraded stations, Hagan said the needs “will be assessed by Metrolinx working in concert with Niagara Region and the local municipalities.”
The design process can vary widely, “but typically a new station design is led by a technical advisor who works with Metrolinx and the local government(s) to design a station that meets all federal, provincial, municipal and industry standards, including barrier-free, Disability Act-compliant access for all our customers.
“This also means including customer-experience upgrades such as integrating PRESTO technology and infrastructure into each station, elevators, upgraded monitors, electronics and software.”
(PRESTO is a smart card payment scheme used on participating public transit systems in Ontario.)
As for level rail crossings, there are 33 of them between Grimsby and Niagara Falls.
“We will be working closely with Niagara Region and CN to update level crossings where necessary,” said Hagan.
Sounds like there are a lot of GO stories to be written between now and 2021.